


From Beneath the Ashes

by HadesForPres



Category: Vikings (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:55:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25136521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HadesForPres/pseuds/HadesForPres
Summary: Bjorn didn't know what to expect when they landed in England, but she wasn't it.
Relationships: Bjorn (Vikings)/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first story on AO3, please be gentle. I'm going to ATTEMPT to update at least once a month. I hope you enjoy!

She didn’t know where they came from, nor did she know where they were going, but the boats just off the beach were calling to her in a way she could not describe. They were like nothing she’d ever seen before. It was almost like when her brother would pull her away from rushing horses when she wasn’t paying attention, almost but not quite.

  
She quietly and carefully stepped out from her hiding spot in the trees and inched closer to the bobbing boats on the water. She was cautious but curious. Her brother would say that she’s too curious for her own good, but he wasn’t here right now. She needed to be careful as she did not know who they belonged to. She wrinkled her nose as she felt the water from the sea seep into her boots.

  
As she bent to remove her boots, she heard rustling from behind her. She quickly hid behind the closest tree and quietly watched as a group of people emerged from the brush, making their way towards the boats. She recognized them as King Ecbert’s men. She took that as a sign to leave. She backed away from the group of men until she felt comfortable she was no longer in their periphery. She took off running towards home, laughing to herself as she thought of what her brother will say when she makes it back.

  
She was so caught up in her thoughts, having now slowed her pace, that she didn’t see the new group of people in her path and she tripped over one of their legs. “Sorry!” she said as she stood back up and continued on her way home.

  
She then suddenly stopped and turned around slowly. She was met with a sea of curious eyes as she sheepishly smiled at the newcomers. She recognized them as the same people who came through her village many years ago, the same people her father came from. She smiled at them and raised her hands to show that she meant no harm.

  
“I am sorry. Did I hurt you?” she asked in their language, causing many of them to be taken aback.

  
“No,” the blonde-haired man answered softly, still trying to understand where she came from.

  
“How is it,” asked a man with a shaved head, “that you know our language?”

  
She reached for the chain around her neck and pulled the pendant from under her shirt. “My father made this.”

  
“That is the hammer of the mighty Thor,” he said, nearing her.

  
“I know,” she replied with a fond smile at the pendant. “And this,” she lifted her arm, “was his armring.”

  
The man carefully grabbed her arm and examined the ring closer. He was confused as to how she could come into possession of such a thing living in England, how she could then speak their language. “Where is your father now?” he asked her.

  
“He died trying to keep us safe. When you raided the lands of King Aelle, the people in our town turned against us. My father comes from your lands and they assumed he would fight against them. Make no mistake, if asked to fight with you his answer would have been yes. But you had not made it to our town and they jumped at the chance to be rid of us.”

  
“Then he is in Valhalla, feasting with the gods.”

  
“Do you really believe so?”

  
“No,” a voice came from behind the man.

  
“Floki,” the man warned.

  
“We know so,” Floki stated, watching the girl carefully. “A man who dies in battle will surely see Valhalla if they keep the gods.”

  
“He loved the gods,” she said.

  
She looked around at the group of men and women. “Come, you must be hungry. My brother would love to cook for you, he is a very good cook.”

  
She turned and began walking toward her home that she shared with her brother. She heard the group begin to rustle behind her, the offer of free food never to be turned down. As they walked, the man she tripped over jogged up towards her side. “I’m Bjorn, by the way.”

  
“I’m Kaari. Sorry I tripped over you.”

  
“You already said that,” he smiled at her. “What is your brother’s name?”

  
“Tore. He will be excited to meet everyone.”

  
“I am excited to meet him. I am glad to have met you,” Bjorn said, causing the girl to blush lightly.

  
As they neared the little cabin in the woods, Kaari motioned for the group to wait outside while she went to explain to her brother what she had done and who she had brought. Her brother frantically ran through the cabin, grabbing ingredients in order to make something for their unexpected guests. The Northmen observed Kaari walk backwards out of the cabin while pulling a rather large man, compared to the girl, by his arm. “Just, for once, stop being a mother hen,” they heard her grunt out.

  
“Tore?” the leader of the group asked.

  
“Yes,” her brother said.

“I am Ragnar. My son, Bjorn, did not give me the chance to introduce myself to your sister,” this caused the girl to blush once more.

  
After introductions had been made, Tore went back to the cabin, leaving the door open for the guests to enter as they like. Kaari, on the other hand, had stripped herself of her boots and had taken off to the woods. Bjorn was curious of this girl and found himself following quietly behind her. It felt as though they were walking in circles when she finally turned around with a small smile on her face.

  
“I can hear you following me.”

  
Bjorn stepped out from behind the tree he was hiding behind. “I am sorry. But where are you going?”

  
She smiled brightly at him, “take off your shoes.”

  
“What?” he laughed.

“They make your steps loud, take off your shoes. You’ll scare them otherwise.”

  
With confusion lacing his expression, he did as he was told. He took her hand, which was outstretched to him. They walked in silence the girl leading the boy into a nearby cave. “What are-”

  
“Shh!”

  
Inside the cave, Bjorn and Kaari were met with a family of wolves. But they were like no wolves Bjorn had ever seen before. They allowed Kaari close to their pups, watching Bjorn with uncomfortable ease written in their eyes. Bjorn watched Kaari carefully as she fed the pups one by one from a bottle. “The mother,” Kaari nodded at the wolf. “Cannot produce milk. Tore and I do not understand why. But they need to eat.”

  
“Of course,” Bjorn cautiously sat next to her on the earthen floor of the cave. “You know, not many people would’ve decided to feed these pups, instead leaving them to their fate.”

  
“Who’s to say this is not their fate?” she said, really to no one in particular. “Besides,” she turned to Bjorn. “We, Tore and I, are not most people.”

  
Bjorn continued to watch, holding one of the pups, as one of the adult wolves wrapped themselves around the feet of Kaari and the other around his own. It wasn’t long before Bjorn felt a weight on his shoulder. Kaari had fallen asleep while feeding the last of the pups. Bjorn took the pup and finished feeding him.


	2. Chapter Two

Back at the house, the group of northmen were beginning to snicker about how long Bjorn had been gone with the girl they’ve just met. Ragnar was firing questions at Tore, as Tore was firing questions at Ragnar. “Where does she go when she goes out there?”

“There’s a wolf den. The mother cannot produce milk for the pups so she feeds them.”

Ragnar eyebrows rose with surprise as he imagined the girl surrounded by wolves. “I have not seen or heard many wolves since we arrived.”

“These are the only two we know about in the area.” 

“Interesting. They are kind of like the two of you.”

Tore smiled. “What is it like to be surrounded by people who are like you?”

“It has been nice getting to see other ways of life. Sometimes it gets a bit…” Ragnar trailed off, searching for the right word.

“Monotonous?” Tore offered, tasting the meal he just prepared. Satisfied, he began walking towards the door with as many dishes as he could carry.

“Yes, monotonous,” Ragnar said slowly, following the younger man. 

“They are still not back?” Tore wondered out loud. “Kaari must have fallen asleep again.”

“Asleep in a wolf den?”

“Wolf den?” Rollo and Floki asked, surprised and in unison. 

“They’re relatively harmless if you know how to approach them,” Tore explained. 

“They’re harmless when they’re dead,” Rollo grunted out.

“Kaari would drop you where you stand if you so much as reached for your blade near those wolves,” Tore said, matter-of-factly, causing laughter to ring out through the crowd. This didn’t bother Tore as he knew the truth about his sister and they did not. He knew it bothered her, however, especially since moments later a dagger was flying through the air and stuck in the tree next to the head of Rollo.

“The problem with men,” her voice rang out as she walked through the treeline, she bent to Rollo’s eye-level, “is their perception of others.”

Ragnar smirked at his brother. He watched Kaari as she pulled the dagger from the tree with ease. He looked to his son who was watching the girl with a glint of something in his eye, something Ragnar could not quite place at this time. 

Kaari smirked as she turned to face her brother, “What have you made to eat?”

“Soup. Now come have some before the wind blows you away,” Tore answered his younger sister. 

As night fell, Ragnar approached his son who was resting against a tree. “What do you think of these people?” he asked, plopping down on the earth next to Bjorn. 

“I think they are interesting,” Bjorn said, earnestly. 

“I think we should take them home with us,” Ragnar said, eyeing his son to see his reaction. He saw Bjorn tense, not in such a way that made him think he thought it was a bad idea but more in the sense that he agreed, with enthusiasm. 

“I think she-they they would like that,” Bjorn stuttered out, causing his father to chuckle at the boy’s tongue slip.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the late update. I will TRY to update once more this month. I have been really busy with grad school but will try to do better.

The next morning, Ragnar opted to stay behind while a party went out to find sustenance for the group. He wanted to get to know these two people better before asking them aboard his ship home. He felt as though he knew the man well enough but the woman, he was still unsure of. He asked her if he could tag along when she went into the woods that day. He watched her as she tended to the wolf pups. 

“They won’t need me much longer,” she said, absentmindedly. “Soon they’ll be ready to go out and hunt with their parents. Of course, I don’t know when that will be exactly. Could be tomorrow.”  
Ragnar listened to her ramble to herself with a fond smile adorning his face. 

Several days passed with the Vikings going to and from the king’s villa and back to the cabin where the two siblings resided. Kaari stayed with her fascination of the Northmen, many of whom reminded her of her father in the way they looked. She met Bjorn’s mother, Lagertha, shortly after meeting the group. She and her group had stayed with the boats a while longer than the rest. She looked at Lagertha with awe in her eyes. She had never seen a woman who could fight as well as she could. Kaari knew that she could hold her own in a fight if she needed to but she really liked the way Lagertha moved with a shield in hand. Kaari was only used to holding daggers.

She continued to bond with Bjorn and soon they were trading joke-laced insults as though they had known each other their whole lives. He had yet to talk to her about his father’s idea of moving them to Kattegat with them. But he somehow knew deep down in his gut that she would be open to the idea. 

Today, Kaari said goodbye to her brother the same way she always did when she was leaving to go check on the wolves. Bjorn had taken to going with her everyday, seeing how the pups had grown in the last few days truly astounded him. They walked in a comfortable silence toward the den. When they arrived, they both noticed something different about the space. It was empty. Kaari sighed, “I knew this day was coming.”

“What is it?” Bjorn asked, standing closely behind her. 

“They no longer need me,” she said, a small smile on her face. “Let’s go,” she turned around and pulled Bjorn with her. 

When they arrived back at the house in the clearing, Kaari’s face dropped. Before her, the men and women who had come from the north were packing up as if to leave. She turned to Bjorn, “You are leaving?”

“We have to return home at some point,” Bjorn pointed out. He noticed her eyes were darkening with the sky above them.

“It feels as though you just got here,” she stated, blinking rapidly. She didn’t understand why she was feeling as emotional about their departure as she did. After all, they had only just met a few days ago. 

“You could come with us,” Bjorn all but whispered, causing Kaari to look up at him. 

“I can’t leave Tore,” she said quietly. 

“You wouldn’t have to,” he reassured her.


End file.
